This invention relates to a method of applying braze material to a substrate. More particularly, this invention relates to a repair deposit on a substrate.
As is known, various types of turbomachinery components, such as steam and gas turbine blades and vanes that are used in environments which are detrimental to the components. For example, the environments in which these components operate cause dimensional reduction of the wall thicknesses of the components by erosion, high temperature, oxidation and hot corrosion or a combination of these factors. In addition, cracks may occur from time-to-time due to thermal fatigue. Over time, these cracks may grow to significant length and width.
Because of the high cost of producing these turbomachinery components, expensive repair methods have been economically justified. Typically, high temperature brazing is used extensively for the repair of these components. For example, compressors may be subject to a high temperature brazing such as described in ASME 97-GT-372.
High temperature brazing materials based on nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) or a ferrous material (Fe) together with melting point depressing elements, such as silicon (Si) and boron (B) have been used for some time for brazing honeycomb seals and repairing small cracks. For wide cracks and wall thickness restoration, wide gap brazes have been developed, for example as described in Turbomachinery, September 1986. These brazes consist partly of a braze material as described above combined with a super alloy metal powder that does not melt during a brazing run. This allows the brazing of a wide gap and the restoration of a wall thickness to be accomplished.
Wide gap brazes also improve the properties, such as ductility and oxidation resistance, of the high temperature brazing material as compared to a conventional braze product.
The newer repair technologies employ an increasing use of a base material by partly alloying a super alloy with a melting point depressing element, such as silicon or boron, for example, as described in ASME 00-GT-500.
Generally, before a high temperature brazing material may be applied to a substrate, the substrate must be carefully cleaned. Cleaning may be accomplished mechanically, by grit cleaning or by blending with a belt abrasive combined with various degreasing methods. The substrate may also be cleaned in a chemical bath at ambient and at elevated temperatures such as described in Turbomachinery, January 1996. Special cleaning processes have also been developed at high temperatures in vacuum, hydrogen and a fluoride/hydrogen environment.
In the past, high temperature brazing materials have been applied with a binder, in a so-called xe2x80x9cslurryxe2x80x9d. However, such a binder usually consists of elements, such as oxygen or carbon, which may adversely influence the quality of the brazing.
Plasticized powdered metal alloy tapes have also been used in order to make the application of the brazing material easier. However, the use of such tapes has not improved the quality of the brazing.
In other techniques, a pre-sintered alloy tape has been used in order to reduce the need for a binder and/or an adhesive and thereby produce a better braze. If applied with a resistance welding technique, a pre-sintered alloy needs no binder or adhesive. This allows an improvement in the quality of the final braze significantly but commercial preforms are only available in plate form and need to be cut by laser or high-pressure water. Also, for some applications, a three dimensional preform is required. This makes the application of this technique, if possible at all, extremely expensive.
Except for sintering, air plasma sprays and even vacuum plasma brazes have been used to make preforms. Although no binder or adhesive needs to be used with either method, air plasma introduces porosity and oxidation products into the repair deposit. Spraying high temperature brazing materials by vacuum and air plasma also create another problem called xe2x80x9celement migrationxe2x80x9d. Migration is caused when certain elements, such as boron and carbon, are vaporized out of the mixture. Migration may be compensated by adding more of those elements in the initial high temperature brazing material. However, migration prediction is unreliable thereby making the content of the critical elements inconsistent.
Generally, a heat treatment step is used to complete a brazing operation. Normally, the heat treatment step is performed under vacuum or other protective atmosphere. During a typical braze heat treatment, the binder/adhesive which is used with the brazing materials is degraded and become gaseous. After this, the temperature of the component being repaired is stabilized just below the solidus temperature of the braze. The furnace in which the heat treatment is being performed is then quickly brought to the actual brazing temperature for a short time and then slowly lowered. A diffusion heat treatment may also be included after the braze heat treatment.
After heat treatment, inspection of the braze quality takes place and the process repeated if required.
As is known, while a coating is applied to a base material in order to improve the resistance of the base material to the environment, braze material is applied for the purpose of restoring the shape and material properties, including the mechanical properties of the base material. It is important to restore the resistance to stresses and/or restore critical dimensions lost by a reduction in wall thickness or other defects.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,136,453 describes a thermal barrier coating system for applying a bond coat to a substrate. As described, the bond coat may be disposed on a substrate employing thermal spray processes, such as vacuum plasma spray (VPS or LPPS), air plasma spray (APS) and hyper-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spray processes. As further described, the structure and roughness of the bond coat surface are dependent on the spray process. Bond coats deposited by HVOF are sensitive to particle size distributions. Dense and oxide-free bond coats can be deposited by HVOF using very lean conditions and finer particles. Rough bond coats deposited by HVOF using coarser powders require a low temperature which results in unmelted powders. Therefore, the coating is porous and less dense.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,448 describes a method of repairing surface and near surface defects in super alloy articles such as gas turbine engine components. As stated therein, brazing techniques have been employed to repair defective areas. However, difficulties encountered with this technique and variations thereof include the inability to completely remove contamination in the cracks and inability to completely fill narrow cracks with braze material. In order to overcome the problem, the use of a specific repair coating is described.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,308 describes a high density spray coating. In particular, use is made of accessory apparatus attachable to the nozzle of a supersonic velocity thermal spray gun which uses oxy fuel (propylene) products of combustion. The use of an inert gas shield confined within a metal shroud attachment which extends coaxially from the outer end of a thermal spray gun nozzle is said to reduce total volume fractions of porosity and oxide from a normal range of 3% to 50% to a level of less than 2%.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,743 describes a metal spray tool repair system which employs a mask in a thermal spraying process.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to reduce the need for brazing material or melting point depressing elements and thereby improve the properties of a high temperature braze material significantly.
It is another object of the invention to eliminate the use of binders or adhesives in a high temperature brazing material.
It is another object of the invention to reduce oxidation products from a repair deposit of high temperature brazing material.
It is another object of the invention to eliminate carbon deposits from a repair made using high temperature brazing material.
It is another object of the invention to eliminate or reduce to a minimum the migration of critical elements, such as boron and carbon, in applying a high temperature braze material to a substrate.
It is another object of the invention to reduce oxidation products and porosity during application of high temperature brazing materials when applied with air plasma spray techniques.
It is another object of the invention to very accurately apply a high temperature brazing material to a desired thickness using a robot.
It is another object of the invention to eliminate shrinkage and river forming in applying a high temperature brazing material.
It is another object of the invention to eliminate the need of a preform in applying repair deposited on a high temperature brazing material.
It is another object of the invention to reduce the adverse effect on quality of the finished brazed product caused by the environment during a brazing heat treatment.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of applying braze materials at reduced production costs and lead time.
Briefly, the invention is directed to a method of applying braze materials to a substrate employing a high velocity combustion gas stream and in particular a HVOF technique.
In particular, the method is directed to the repairing of various types of substrates which require repair, for example surface cracks and corroded areas. In accordance with the method, a high velocity combustion gas stream is generated and a binder-free high temperature brazing material is passed into the gas stream in order to entrain and melt the brazing material therein. The brazing material entrained gas stream is then directed against and along at least one portion of the substrate requiring repair in order to form a deposit of brazing material thereon. Thereafter, the substrate is heat treated.
Typically, the high velocity combustion gas stream is generated by employing a Diamond Jet Hybrid 2600 spray gun for a hydrogen fuel and a Diameter Jet Hybrid 2700 spray gun for a natural gas fuel. These guns are manufactured and sold by Sulzer Metco (US) Inc. of Westbury, N.Y.
The binder-free high temperature brazing material is selected from the group consisting of at least one of a nickel-based, cobalt-based and ferrous-based brazing material. The brazing material may also be selected from the group consisting of these brazing materials and at least one of a nickel alloy, cobalt alloy and ferrous alloy. Further, where the high temperature brazing material is one of these alloys, there may also be at least one temperature depressing melting point element, such as boron and/or silicon. Also, the brazing material may be made of any combination of these components.
The brazing material in powdered form is passed into the gun using a conventional powder feeder such as a 9MP DJ (a Diamond Jet powder feeder) sold by Sulzer Metco (US) Inc. of Westbury, N.Y.
The carrier gas used in such a powder feeder is typically nitrogen supplied at a pressure of 150 psi. The flow rate for the brazing material which is in powder form is typically 28 or 30 SCFH with a spray rate of from 5 grams per minute to 50 grams per minute and typically 30 grams per minute (g/min).
The spray gun is typically spaced from the substrate a distance of 10 inches and the spray rate is adjusted to give an application rate of less than 0.2 to 0.4 mil per pass.
The thickness of the applied deposit of brazing material may range from 0.030 to 0.040 inches and even to thicknesses in excess of 0.100 inches.
The heat treatment which is performed on the substrate after depositing of the brazing material is conventional. Typically, the heat treatment is performed within a vacuum furnace. In some cases, the brazing or diffusion step can be eliminated.
The repair deposit(s) laid down in accordance with the method is characterized in being binder free and carbon free. In particular, the repair deposit(s) is characterized in having a porosity of less than 2% and in particular, less than 1%.
The invention also provides a repair deposit of unique characteristics as noted above. That is to say, the invention provides a repair deposit comprised of a high temperature brazing material which is characterized in being binder-free and having a porosity of less than 2%.